Abstract: A co-precipitation process adapted from a conventional laking method permits the production of new colored lakes characterized by better tinctorial strength and purity. These pigments offer an alternative to mineral pigments.

The palette of the formulating artist seems invariable between the green color of chromium oxides, the brown and the black hues of iron oxides, the violet of manganese derivatives, and the bright shades from yellow to red of organic pigments and lakes. In this paper, researchers from LCW Laboratories describe efforts to create a new range of colored lake pigments. The work described adapts a well-known manufacturing technology and applies it to approved ingredients in an innovative way. Beyond new organic shades, the new colored lakes are an interesting alternative to mineral pigments. This article first introduces general information about conventional lakes and then presents an overview of these innovative colored lakes.

Various definitions exist to describe the word lake depending on its final application. The general definition for a lake used in the color cosmetic industry is: a pigment produced by two simultaneous phenomena—the precipitation of a permitted soluble dye and its adsorption on a permitted insoluble substrate.